Tuesday, May 17, 2011

‘Pro-life’ Trump ditches presidential bid

NEW YORK, May 16, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - After weeks of flirting with a presidential run - and repeatedly claiming to have turned “pro-life” - business mogul and reality TV host Donald Trump has said he will not attempt to run against President Obama in 2012.

The New York magnate issued a statement Monday afternoon officially declining to run for the U.S. presidency, while expressing his certainty that he would have both won the GOP ticket and beaten Obama.

“I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election,” said Trump in a statement. “I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector. ...

“I make you this promise: that I will continue to voice my opinions loudly and help to shape our politician’s thoughts.”

Working against a reputation for slippery political views, Trump had carved out an image of himself as a socially conservative foil against the radically liberal policies of President Obama.

Accordingly, Trump announced at CPAC in February that he was pro-life, and told Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody in early April that a friend’s near-encounter with the procedure had changed his mind: “He ends up having the baby and the baby is the apple of his eye. It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him. And you know here’s a baby that wasn’t going to be let into life,” said Trump. “And I heard this, and some other stories, and I am pro-life.”

“One thing about me, I’m a very honorable guy, okay? And I’m pro-life, but I changed my view a number of years ago,” Trump had said.

In a later interview with NBC, Trump asserted he was “very strong” on pro-life, but appeared confused at the relevance of the “right to privacy” invoked by the U.S. Supreme Court as the basis for legalizing abortion in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Trump’s avowed conversion has also been cast into doubt by his recent endorsement of heavily pro-abortion candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani in 2007. As late as February Trump gave Rahm Emanuel, a 100% pro-abortion politician according to NARAL Pro-Choice America, $50,000 for his mayoral bid in Chicago.